Doughtie, who will turn 51 later this month, shot 70 at Dallas Stars Country Club at McKinney this week to earn a berth in the Senior Open. He tied with Bill Holstead and Mike Sullivan before earning the berth in a playoff. Perry Arthur's 69 led the qualifier. Holstead also advanced, while Sullivan is an alternate.

Former Pampa Country Club pro Mickey Piersall shot 71.

Doughtie, who won the Amarillo Country Club Men's Championship for the 12th time three weeks ago, is in West Columbia along with son Will. They are trying to win the Texas Golf Association Father-Son Championship for the fourth consecutive time. Play begins today at Columbia Lakes Country Club.

Defending Champs Won't Return for ACC Women's Partnership: While the 44th Annual Amarillo Country Club Women's Partnership will be without its defending champions, teams that have won three of the past four years are expected to figure prominently this year.

Lisa Beck and Mona Freeman, who won last year's tournament by defeating Carol Buchanan and Lisa Held in the finals, are not entered.

However, two former winning teams might find their way to Thursday's final match. They are Trina Albright and Jo Dickson, who won in 2002 and Marian Barker and Penny Perry, the winners in 2000 and 2001. Barker is a four-time winner of the tournament, and twice with Perry.

Eleven teams are expected to play in the 18-hole qualifier Monday. The low eight teams will compete in the championship flight, with matches beginning Tuesday. Forty-eight teams will compete in six flights.

The qualifying teams include Dixie Haddox and Nanette Wheelis of Waco; Joanne Burleson and Dianne Roberts from the Dallas-Fort Worth area; Becky Spears of San Antonio and Debbie Teague of Austin; Linda McReynolds of Houston and Mary Jo Mahan of San Antonio; Peggy Barfield and Diane Schlecte of Waco; Kriss Ethridge of Lubbock and Terry Dukes of Abilene; Sue Brewer of Amarillo and Pam Redus of Georgetown; Joyce Worden and Evelyn Tofte of Houston and the local team of Ann Velky and Janis Polson.

Budweiser Partnership Boasts Strong College Teams: The 53rd Budweiser Partnership already features a strong list of college teams, led by defending champions Ryan King and Colby Seals of Cameron.

As of Thursday, 20 teams had signed up for the championship-flight qualifier scheduled for Thursday at Ross Rogers' WildHorse layout. Among them are the Cameron teams of Travis Lovins-Owen Mahaffey and Nic Ware-Scott Watson, plus Todd Dayton and Chris Hudson of Central Oklahoma. The West Texas A&M duo of Josh Luongo and Jimmy Jameson are in the field, as well as Josh Duckworth and Brent Bullard, who won the tournament two years ago and lost in the final to King and Seals last year. Other strong teams that have signed up for the qualifier are Michael Casey-Bobby Barber and Steve Rogers-Don Bowen.

Rogers Qualifies for John Deere Classic: Jamie Rogers, an Australian national who has been working at La Paloma Golf Club as an outside service attendant, earned a spot in the John Deer Classic at Silvis, Ill, that began Thursday.

He shot 3-over 74 in the first round.

He gained one of the four spots in the open qualifier and joined Amarillo's Ryan Palmer in the field. Rogers, who was a standout at the University of Nebraska, is from Queensland, Australia, and has played on the Hooters, Tight Lies and Nationwide tours.

Fourth Career Ace Somewhat Noteworthy: Roy Looney, 79, used a 6-iron to ace the 158-yard 10th hole on The Old Course at the Ross Rogers Golf Complex on Wednesday.

While it was his fourth career hole-in-one, it was his third at the Ross Rogers layout. Ace No. 1 was at the Santa Fe Country Club's No. 8 hole several years ago, and No. 2 came at No. 17 on The Old Course. The last two, however, have been at the 10th hole at Ross Rogers' Old Course. And, if that wasn't enough, he shot 76 this week.

"Shooting your age isn't as big a deal as you might think," Looney said. "Getting a hole-in-one is nice, but it's mostly luck. You can hit a great shot and not get one, then hit a shot that isn't that great and it might go in the hole."

Doc Render Tourney Has Openings: The annual Doc Render Tournament, a two-man low-ball at Dimmitt Country Club that begins Saturday, has openings for eight teams, according to pro Larry Squier. For information, call 647-4502.

Les Giles covers area golf for the Globe-News. His column appears Fridays during the summer.